Card Lores:Flowers in Vacuum, Cosmo Wreath
Monthly Bushiroad He is one of the "Link Joker", the new lifeforms of Cray reborn by the power of "Messiah". His intelligence and ego, consolidated like that of living things, sprout early. Though in few numbers, there are other Link Joker whose egos sprout, and they act as messengers to deliver the orders from the Messiah. Although he takes the form of a young boy, the Link Joker of the new generation are created with resemblance to native life forms since their creation, and there is no way to tell how many years they have been active from their appearance. Nevertheless, that doesn't necessarily mean they would not grow, for they are the latest unidentified creatures of this planet. Monthly Bushiroad Short Novel Secluded Lives "Come quickly! Time is money!" On the mountain path covered by a raging blizzard, a group, consisting of a man and a girl, was walking. "Wait, please wait, Mr. Bryderi!" Though they could shelter themselves from the blizzard using magic, they couldn't solve the problems of low visibility and difficulties in walking. "Let's fly by magic~..." "Fool! What if the entrance is on the ground?! Are you underestimating the inspection?!" "At least, let me, stay closer..." "W... wait! Don't come closer any more! Walk quickly, but keep some distance from me!" "At this rate I'll lose sight of you~" "Arlim", the inspector from "Gear Chronicle", and "Bryderi", the inspector from "Gold Paladin". They didn't come to such undeveloped mountains for no reason. They were investigating the unidentified life forms for their respective groups. "Mu...!" "Gear Chronicle" obtained information about the witnessing of unidentified lifeforms. They shared the information with "United Sanctuary", a country with friendly relationships with all but few nations, and sought collaboration in investigations. At that time, Arlim and Bryderi were the two who volunteered to become forefront inspectors. "That is..." To verify the authenticity of their hypothesis, they came to the polar region to investigate the unidentified life forms' residence with their eyes. The place was the westernmost part of "Star Gate". "A cave, it seems to be." They proceeded without fear. Time is so precious now that they couldn't waste it for trembling. If their hypothesis is correct, there is a very high chance that the unidentified lifeforms' true identity is "Link Joker", the invaders from other stars that nearly destroyed Cray. --------------------- The entrance they found seemed nothing more than a crevice. They wouldn't have figured that out if they were not familiar with field investigation. Before the fantastic scenery surrounded by ice, Arlim could not help but sigh with feeling. "Wow... it's so beautiful~" "No alterations in the composition so far, is it?" "Un-gh, but don't you feel something strange about the essence of spirits?" "You feel it too, don't you? Is it related to the instability of the protection barrier that just happened..." "Ah, as I expected! I can see micro-spirits I haven't seen before! They're so cute!" Arlim, with her exaggerated looking goggles, was excited. "Hmm, the technologies of that 'Gear Chronicle' thing is impressive as usual. Able to see spirits with eyes, that is. " ------------------ After completing the investigation around the entrance, they walked into the cave. However, they couldn't figure out anything special, and the time of aimless investigation went on. "No alterations in native plants." "I see nothing strange here, either." "I will leave you to investigate the animals. I don't know why they run away as I walk near." The little squirrel on Arlim's palms ran away and rushed into its drey, as if terrified by Bryderi's face. "A-ah, that's because you show that scary face." "I intend to smile." "It looks like that of a Yaksha... eh? What is it?" As Arlim's eyesight chased the fleeing squirrel, her voice rose. After staring at the drey the squirrel escaped into, she knocked the surrounding ice aimlessly. "Mr. Bryderi, could you cast a little heat magic at this position?" "I can, but why?" "The ice here is unnaturally thin, and the wind blown from the cave is unique... there may be artificially built space. And that seems big." "I get it. Walk away a bit." After speaking, Bryderi removed the glove on his hand, and pressed his palm onto the wall. At the moment he uttered some words, steam arose from between his hand and the wall, and an entrance appeared with a size that one can walk into. And in front of them are massive stairs which are obviously built by sentient beings. "Your guess is right." "Thanks to Mr. Squirrel~" The two were going to walk down on the stairs which surpass those used by giants, but... "Please wait a moment." From the depths of the stairs came a voice. "This is the place where we and our master reside." The two looked to each other subconsciously, and swung their heads to show they were not the one speaking. After all, the voice did come from the depth. "If you say you must proceed..." That's a voice high in tone, which gives others the feeling of transparent water. "Who are you---" "Wait, it's coming." The one who showed up is a beautiful boy whose appearance fits the voice. "As expected, is it?" "The same form as written in the history of Cray..." "I will guide you." ----------------- "Guide us? Didn't you come to drive us away?" "I received word from Master Messiah that guests have arrived." "Master Messiah?" "The impact happening on another planet that even influenced Cray is named Messiah Scramble... it can't be!?" "Can I interpret that you two have the will to go forth?" "Y-yes! I'll rely on you." (She bit her lips...) "Then, please come here." The mysterious boy walked in the front, behind him was Bryderi, and behind Bryderi was Arlim who isn't familiar with floating magic. The stairs went deeper than they imagined, and they couldn't see the end even though they moved quite quickly. "Huh!? The mystery is solved!" "What, all of a sudden?" "You are Link Joker, aren't you!?" "Yes. The general name of us is Link Joker." "As expected. My deduction is--Wukyaaaa!?" (That girl's straight ball works.) Arlim was so happy that she made a mistake in manipulation of floating and hit the wall. Bryderi, ignoring the girl, continued the conversation. "I have many things to ask. I am Bryderi, an inspector. What is your name?" "We don't have formal ways to be referred to. If you speak of the identification pseudonym granted by the Master." "Fine, inform me." "Please call me Cosmo Wreath." "D-don't leave me alone~" "I get it... Arlim, come here quickly!" "Bryderi, Arlim. I have put your identification pseudonyms in my memory." "These are not identification pseudonyms. These are our names." "Names..." -------------------- "Link Joker", the invaders from other stars that came to Cray in the past. Though the residents of this place resembled those invaders, they seemed to be different beings. According to Cosmo Wreath, they are "life forms created by Master Messiah". Though Bryderi pretended to be calm, his mind was working hastily with surprise and excitement. (A historical discovery...! I must prepare a book of inspection quic---) "Bryderi, Arlim. Here is the place." "A-aah." "Wow, a big gate~" At the direction Cosmo Wreath called, there was a gate several tens of times bigger than their sizes. Compared to Arlim, sighing with her eyes shining, Bryderi looked around the gate without changing his serious face. "In the depth, is the Messiah. A mysterious being, that only traces of the name is left in history." "I will open it." As the tiny hand of the boy touched the door, it opened gradually. He didn't seem to have exerted any physical force, but no sense of mana arose. "I will stay here." "Understood. My gratitude to your guidance." "Thanks a lot~" Bryderi, with audible breathing sounds, walked while Arlim followed him in a haste. (My inspection report will change the nation!) ---------------------- "This seems to be the deepest part, but..." "It's wide... but there isn't anything." Inside the door is the biggest room of ice. However, there isn't any decoration or the form of Messiah. Nevertheless--- "What's that... urgh!" "Hyaa!?" None except themselves knew what was happening. If there was a third person, he or she could only see Bryderi and Arlim jumping suddenly. "W-w-what's that!?" "You heard that too..." (Instead of hearing, I should say...) Something talked to their ears---no, their senses, directly. "This is..." As Bryderi whispered, a tremendous metallic mass emerged in front of the two. The two looked up, and they saw... "Messiah...!" They understood without anyone telling them. The huge body that resembles an immobile object is the lord of salvation in the texts. "Lord of salvation, you are..." At the moment he asked the question, immense amounts of information flowed into his mind. That is the digested question of him, and... -------------------- "Mr. Bryderi!" "U... urgh..." "Are you okay!? I'll check your pulses first! And..." "His pulses are normal. There is sign of dehydration, so give him water." "Got it!" Bryderi fell on the entrance of the cave. In his fuzzy sight of view, Arlim was in confusion with tears in her eyes, and Cosmo Wreath was giving accurate instructions. (Everyone except me seems fine.) "Unlike us, Master Messiah uses no words. As you two have felt, Master Messiah communicates with others by sending information into the mind." "Directly... to the mind..." "Until you came here, you held many questions about us. Master Messiah answered them all. However, you were not familiar with information exchange through the mind..." "So I couldn't bear the amount of information, and lost my consciousness for several seconds. How incompetent I am..." He blamed himself and swung his head. Nonetheless, the fragments of information were left in his mind. "You are not invaders." "We are not." "...You are parts of this planet, aren't you?" "Yes. Certainly." "What happens if the existence of this place is exposed?" "We, with the same form of the invaders, are likely to be exterminated as foreign matter." "It can't be! You haven't done..." "Beings with awakened 'egos' like me have understood what the invaders, our template, had done. The people hold deep hatred towards us. I don't think time so short can relieve such hatred." "Yes, it's like that." As Bryderi said, he took out some papers from his clothes. They are the investigation report he had been writing secretly on the road. And, these papers-- "So, I will do this for this time." --Became ashes in his hand. "I-is that alright?" "I don't care. If a race became extinct because of me, I'll have trouble sleeping." With self-blaming smiles, he turned to Cosmo Wreath and spoke. "There is nothing here. She'll report to 'Gear Chronicle', but I'll tell 'United Sanctuary' I found nothing." After speaking one-sidedly, he waited no response and flew out from the cave. "Nihehe, I saw new things from you." "So noisy. I'll remove the barrier." "Hyaa!? So cooooold! You have already removed it, haven't you!?" -------------------- In the cave of ice, a boy walked around. From his face lack of emotion, his thought couldn't be discerned easily. But... "They... I want to see them again." From his mouth, the sprouting of "happiness" in his mind is implied. "Bryderi, Arlim. I would like to have my 'name' one day." Category:Lores